Safety device for locomotives.



' J. W. CONOVER. SAFETY mavicn FOR LOCOMOTIVES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3, 1913.

Patented Sept. 15, 1914.

' 2 SHEETS-SHEETI v V lliH/E/IITOF M/IT/l/ESSES:

J. W. OONOV'BR. SAFETY DEVICE FOR LOCOMOTIVES.

APPLICATION FILED PEB.8, 1913. L1 10,99. Patented Septl5, 191%.,

F 2 SHEETS-SHEET .2-

WITNESSES: hW/EMTQR JAMES CONOVER, 0F HOUSTON, TEXAb.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR LOCOMOTIVES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 15, 1 9M.

Application filed Febrpary 8, 1913, Serial N 0. 747,128.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES W. CoNovER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Houston, in the county of Harrisand State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices for L0- comotives, of which the following is a speci fication. This invention relates to new and useful improvements in safety devices for l0comotives.

The object of the invention is to provide a device ofthe character described which will be tripped under certain conditions automatically and when so tripped, will operate to shut off the steam from the locomotive engine and simultaneously apply the air to d the brake mechanism and thereby stop the locomotive.

This device is particularly intended to prevent the locomotive from running into open switches and open derails and to prevent like accidents, as will be more specifically set forth hereinafter.

\Vith the above and other objects in view, the invention has particular relation to certain novel features of construction, operation and arrangement of parts, an example of which is given in this specification and illustratedin the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of a locomotive upon a railway track. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the track. Fig. 3 is a side view of the spring motor used as a part of this device. Fig.; 4; is an end View thereof. Fig. 5

is an end" view showing the opposite end from that shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 shows the motor and fragmentary views of the throt tle lever and the air controller lever and their operative connections with the motor. Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view of the track showing the trip lever. Figs. 8, 9, 10, and 11 show other views of said lever. Fig. 12 shows a detail for locking the device against tripping. Fig. 13 shows a detail. view of a portion of the switch stand.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 1 refers to the railway track and 2 to the locomotive.

Mounted in suitable bearings depending from the front end of the locomotive is a shaft 3 which extends through the s ring motor, said motor consisting of a cylin rical view of a locking mechanism tion. Fixed upon the shaft 3 and concen-' trio with the casing 4 is a ratchet wheel 6 and pivoted to the end of the casing near the edge thereof, is the dog 7 the inner end of said dog being adapted to engage with the teeth of said ratchet wheel 6. The outer end of this dog is extended and enlarged laterally, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, for a purpose to he hereinafter stated. Fixed to the shaft 3, on the opposite side of the casing from the ratchet wheel 6, are two pulleys 8 and 9, whose peripheries are grooved cireumferentially and secured to the peripheries of said respective pulleys are the cords 10 and 11, whose other ends are attached, respectively, to the throttle lever 12 and the air control lever 13- The numeral 14 designates a crank by means of which the shaft 3 may be turned and the spring motor wound up and when so wound, the dog 7 will engage with the ratchet teeth of the wheel 6 and secure the motor against unwinding. The dog is normally held in secure engagement with said ratchet teeth by means of the pull spring 15, one end of which is attached to the outer end of the dog 7 and the other end of which may be secured to any desirable point of attachment.

In Fig. 2 an open switch is shown, the switch rails being indicated by the numerals 16, 16. The movable ends of these rails are secured to a rod 17, but'are slidable in the bearings 18, 18 fixed to the tie 19.

The numeral 20 refers to a switching stem by means of which the rod 17 may be moved back and forth in its bearings in the ordinary and well known manner and the switch thereby opened and closed.

Fixed to the tie 21, at a suitable distance from the switch, are the bearings 22, 22, in which the transverse shaft 23 is rotatably mounted. One end of this shaft'projects out beyond the rail on one side and has an arm 24: fixed thereto and extending upwardly therefrom. Attached to the upper end of this arm at one end is a wire 25. This wire passes along by the side of the rail and over the tie and passes along the groove in the periphery of asmall pulley 26, which is carried by the corresponding outer, end ofthe tie 19 and the other end of said wire is fastened to the shaft 17.

The trip lever is indicated by the numeral 27. The lower end of this lever has a double bearing 28, 28 through which the shaft 23 extends and the said shaft is rotatable in said bearings. A. coil spring 29, however, surrounds said shaft 23 and one end of it is attached to the shaft and the other end to the lever 27, so that ordinarily as the shaft is rotated in one direction the lever is elevated to an upright position and when rotated in the other direction, said lever is lowered.

A pin 30 is fixed to the shaft 23 and projects out between the bearings 28, 28 and as the shaft 23 is rotated in the direction to lower the lever 27, the pin engages against the lower end of said lever and causes the positive lowering of the lever" as the shaft rotates. However, when said shaft is rotated in the opposite direction so as to elevate the lever 27, said lever will be elevated by the tension of the spring 29 until it contacts against the abutment 31, which is carried by the tie 21. This abutment serves to hold the lever 27 in its upright position, and the shaft 23 is permitted to turn further, the pin 30 moving in the slot between the bearings 28, 28 and any sudden jerk transmitted to the wire 25 by the sudden throwing of theswitch will not be liable to break said wire on account of the yielding connection between the shaft 23 and the lever 27.

In case the switch is open and a through train approaches said open switch and the open switch is not observed by the engineer,

the lever 27 being elevated when the switch is open engages against the downwardly extending end of the dog 7, trips said dog and throws it out of said engagement with the ratchet wheel 6. As the dog is thrown back to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, it wedges over a wedge shaped projection 32 carried upon the end of the casing 4 and said dog is thus held in the position shown in dotted lines shown in Fig. 4 and the shaft 3 released to the spring motor which turns the same and winds the cords 10 and 11 around the respective pulleys 8 and 9 and the throttle and air control levers 12 and 13 will be manipulated so as to shut off the steam and apply the air to the brakes and the locomotive is thereby stopped before the open switch is reached. The trip lever 27 should be made of strong-but flexible material, strong enough to trip the dog 7 and yet flexible enough to pass thereunder without breaking any of the parts. When it is desired to permit the locomotive to pass, the switch is closed and the trip lever 27 is pulled down by the pull spring 33, so as not to engage with the outer end of the do 7.

It is obvious, of course, that this evice is useful also as a protection from running into an' open derail and as a protection against similar danger.

In case an open switch is approached and it is desired to run the locomotive out on the said switch, it is necessary to provide means for locking the dog 7 against tripping. To provide for this exigency, I have provided. a hand lever 34 which should be in easy reach of the engineer and which is pivoted at an intermediate point 35. T o the lower end of this lever 34 is pivoted a rod 36 which is slidable 'in a bearing 37 and whose forward end is alined with the lower end of thedog 7. A rearward pull on the upper end of the lever 34 will operate to push the ,free end of the rod 36 against the lower end of the dog 7 and lock the same against tripping. Normally, however, the

free end of the' shaft 36 is held out of contact with the dog 7 by means of the pull springs 38, one end of which is attached to the upper end of the lever 34 and the other end of which will be attached to any desirable stationary point of attachment.

This device may thus be locked against tripping whenever it is so desired. Unless positively locked, however, the device will always be in position to be tripped when the switch or derail .is open and it will thus be impossiblefor the train to run unexpectedly into an open switch or derail.

What I claim is 1. A device of the character described comprising a motor fixed to a locomotive, a shaft opera-tively connected therewith, a means for locking said shaft and motor against rotation, a manual means for securing said locking means against disengagement from the shaft, an operative connection between the shaft and the throttle controlling mechanism of the locomotive whereby said controlling mechanism is actuated when saidlocking means is released and said motor and shaft are set in motion.

2. A device for stopping a locomotive comprising a motor carried by the locomotive, a shaft operatively connected with said motor, a locking mechanism carried by the motor adapted to lock the shaft against rotation, a manual means for securing said locking operative connections between the shaft and the controlling mechanism of the locomotive, said connections being operated by the shaft when the shaft is released for operation by said motor.

3. A device of the character described'com' prising a motor carried by a locomotive, an operative means connected with said motor, a locking mechanism adapted to lock said operative means against rotation, a manually operated device for securing said mechanism against disengagement from the said operative means, operative connections between said means and the controlling mechanisms 115 means against disengagement from the shaft,

of the locomotive, said connections being operated by said operative means when said means is released for operation by said motor.

4. A device of the character described for stopping a locomotive comprising a motor fixed to said locomotive, a rotatable means operatively connected with the motor, a locking mechanism adapted to lock said means against rotation, a manually operated de vice for securing said mechanism against disengagement rom the said operative means, operative connections between said means and the controllin mechanisms of the locomotive, said connections being operated by said operative means when said means is released for operation by said motor and means for releasing said locking mechanism.

5. A devive of the character described comprising a motor fixed to a locomotive, a rotatable shaft operatively connected with the motor, a locking mechanism adapted to lock said shaft against rotation, controlling mechanism carried by the locomotive, means for operating said controlling mechanism, said means being connected wlth said shaft and operated thereby when the shaft is released for operation by said motor, so as to simultaneously close the throttle and set the brakes, all in combination with a mechanism for releasing said locking mechanism.

6. A device of the character described, comprising a motor fixed to a locomotive, a rotatable shaft operatively connected with the motor, a locking mechanism adapted to lock said shaft against rotation, a controlling mechanism carried by the locomotive,- means for operating said mechanism, said means being connected with said shaft and operated thereby when the shaft is released for operationby said motor, a mechanism adapted to be brought into contact with said l0cking mechanism to secure the same in its locked osition, all in combination with a mechanism for releasing said locking mechanism when said locking mechanism 18 not secured in its locked position by said securing mechanism.

In testimony whereof I have signed mynaf'me to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES W. oo'NovERQ Witnesses J. W. YEAGLEY, MAX MONTGOMERY.

' Copies of this patent may be obtained .for five cents: each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

